The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Motor : Lewis Hamilton takes pole

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Sport - Racing : Motor

Lewis Hamilton takes pole

Stan Rayan

Fuel problem pushes Raikkonen behind; Alonso 12th

— Photo: AFP

GOOD START: Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, who claimed the pole position, shares a light moment with Poland’s Robert Kubica, who finished second, after the qualifying session of the Australian Grand Prix.

MELBOURNE: Formula One’s strange twists and turns came to haunt the World championship even before the start of the season’s first race.

McLaren’s young sensation Lewis Hamilton grabbed the pole position in the qualifiers on Saturday to launch a perfect start to his title hunt in the Australian Grand Prix. But World champion Kimi Raikkonen and Renault star Fernando Alonso will start Sunday’s season-opening race from a crowded field here.

Ferrari’s Raikkonen, the defending champion in Melbourne, had a fuel pump problem which saw his car grumble to a halt towards the end of the first qualifying round and will now start 16th on the grid, while Spain’s double World champion Alonso could only finish 12th.

Force India’s, Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil, also had a few problems with their cars and will begin from the back pack.

“I couldn’t have wished for a better start to the season and it is great to see Heikki (Kovalainen) and my friend Robert (Kubica) doing well,” said Hamilton.

“During Q1 I was held up in traffic but everything just came together when it mattered in Q3. I think the start will be interesting due to the change in regulations. Fortunately, I am starting from the clean side of the track for once, and hopefully that will help a bit.”

Traffic problem

In sharp contrast, his biggest rival Raikkonen will find the Sunday traffic quite heavy at the Albert Park. The new rules, which ban engine braking and traction control, could also make life further difficult for the Finn.

“Clearly, I am disappointed,” said Raikkonen who took the pole here last year. “A few corners from the end of my in-lap, I had a problem with the electronic fuel pump which forced me to stop near the pit lane and so it was impossible for me to get back to the garage to try and fix the problem.

“These things happen but it’s definitely not the best way to start the season.”

The Ferraris were slow in coming in for the qualifiers, a three-round affair where the six slow finishers were eliminated from each of the first two rounds.

Stunning run

Meanwhile, BMW’s Robert Kubica, with a stunning run, and McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen will line up behind Hamilton after taking the second and third positions in the final qualifier, virtually a shootout between the top 10 cars.

But many of the cars were slow in the final qualifying round because they were running with heavy fuel loads.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa was fourth, while Nick Heidfeld made it a happy day for BMW by finishing fifth.

Glock penalised

Germany’s Timo Glock, who has been given his first full season by Toyota, qualified in ninth place but was later penalised for an unscheduled gearbox change and for impeding another driver during the qualifiers.

He will now drop 10 places on the grid to 19th. Honda’s Jenson Button, Force India’s Fisichella, Williams Nico Rosberg and Glock’s Toyota teammate Jarno Trulli were also warned, but escaped punishment, for setting their fastest laps under yellow flags.

The results (qualifying rounds): 1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes), 2. Robert Kubica (BMW), 3. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes), 4. Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 5. Nick Heidfeld (BMW), 6. Jarno Trulli (Toyota), 7. Nico Rosberg (Williams-Toyota), 8. David Coulthard (Red Bull-Renault), 9. Timo Glock (Toyota), 10. Sebastian Vettel (STR-Ferrari).

11. Rubens Barrichello (Honda), 12. Fernando Alonso (Renault), 13. Jenson Button(Honda), 14. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams-Toyota), 15. Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault), 16. Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari), 17. Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India-Ferrari), 18. Sebastien Bourdais (STR-Ferrari), 19. Adrian Sutil (Force India-Ferrari), 20. Takuma Sato (Super Aguri-Honda).

21. Nelsinho Piquet (Renault), 22. Anthony Davidson (Super Aguri-Honda).

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